                (1) Field of the Invention        
The present disclosure relates to optical or ophthalmic lenses. More particularly, the invention disclosed herein relates to lenses assisting users in gauging distance to a target. One representative example of the use of such lenses is as part of a sighting system for a hunting or target shooting weapon such as an archery bow.
(2) Background of Invention
Some known lenses and sighting devices that are arguably material to patentability include the following.
U.S. Pat./1st Named Date of patent/application No.InventorPublicationU.S. Pat. No. 4,195,414RobinsonApr. 1, 1980U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,983Schroeder1980U.S. Pat. No. 4,348,716StormSep. 7, 1982U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,980HayesAug. 6, 1985U.S. Pat. No. 4,542,447QuakenbushSep. 17, 1985U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,335FrimerMar. 4, 1986U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,914BretlJul. 5, 1988U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,093WoffindenDec. 2, 1997U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,620YehAug. 28, 2001U.S. Pat. No. 6,494,604KhoshnoodDec. 17, 2002U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,308KhoshnoodAug. 5, 2003U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,111LoRoccoOct. 21, 2003U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,131ScholzOct. 12, 2004U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,024TerzoJul. 10, 2012U.S. Pat. No. 8,272,137LogsdonSep. 25, 2012U.S. Pat. No. 8,713,807LoRoccoMay 6, 2014U.S. Pat. No. 8,752,303PriebeJun. 17, 2014U.S. patent application LienhartSep. 26, 2013No. 2013-0250284
U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,414 issued to Robinson discloses an electrically lighted, vertically and laterally adjustable sight for an archery bow comprising an elongate battery housing for being mounted lengthwise on an archery bow, and a pair of electrically conductive contact strips carried by the battery housing on a dovetail flange; at least one sight pin holder is mounted on the dovetail flange for selectively adjustable movement along the longitudinal extent of the contact strips. An elongate sight pin having a light emitter on one end is transversely slidably mounted on the sight pin holder, and includes elongate electrical contact strips positioned thereon. A current conductor carried by the sight pin holder operatively interconnects the contact strips on the dovetail flange and the sight pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,093 issued to Woffinden discloses an ophthalmic lens having a one piece lens body with an integral edge surface includes grooves in the edge surface for reflecting away from the retina of the patient visible light striking the edge surface. This lens design reduces glare seen by the patient caused when incident light contacts the edge surface and is undesirably reflected onto the retina.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,281,620 issued to Yeh discloses a bulb lamp with IR reflectivity including a cap engaged to a bulb composed of a glass lens and a glass reflector, the lens having a positioning dimple in the inner surface of the lens at a centered position to assure alignment of the conductor and filament. Also included is a reflector having an inner surface which is parabolically shaped and coated with an IR reflective material layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,308 issued to Khoshnood discloses an ambient-light collecting bow sight having a light collecting fiber optic filament of sufficient length to enable extensive winding around a translucent bow sight; one end of the fiber optic filament is attached to a pin or crosshair of the bow sight, thus functioning as a lit targeting pin.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,634,111 issued to LoRocco discloses a multiple-range pin sight for an archery bow, having a plurality of light collecting optical fibers, each having a light-emitting end that serve as a sight point at the end of a pin. An artificial light source projects light toward the light collectors. At least one of the light sources is adjustable between first and second positions, such that the light projects onto one of the light collectors for selectively illuminating a sight dot.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,752,303 issued to Priebe discloses sighting system for a bow, having front and rear sights. The front sight includes at least one sighting element such as a lit sighting dot at the end of a fiber optic pin. The rear sight includes a framed lens having a sighting aperture in the optical center. The sighting aperture may be formed as an opening through the lens in the shape of a straight bore, a conical bore, a countersink, a counterbore, etc. In those embodiments other than the straight bore, the side walls of the sighting aperture, or portions thereof, will be visible to the archer, to more readily allow the archer to locate the sighting aperture during the process of aiming and shooting. The sidewalls of the sighting aperture may be coated or colored to enhance their visibility to the archer. Further, the lens may be configured to provide for the magnification of objects viewed through the lens.
U.S. Patent Application No 2013-0250284 filed by Lienhart discloses automated auto-collimation alignment of a telescope of a surveying instrument. The telescope defines an optical axis perpendicular to a reflective surface of an auto-collimation target, such as a coated plane mirror. Alignment is performed by a method that includes aligning the telescope with the auto-collimation target and illuminating a reticle in the telescope. The auto-collimation target and the illuminated reticle reflected by the reflective surface, or the illuminated reticle, are acquired using an image acquisition device in the telescope or a second telescope. The reticle center in the image is determined. The horizontal and vertical distances of the reticle center are determined from the optical axis of the telescope in the image.
Leupold Optics has a number of scopes having lenses with illuminated reticles, one of which is a single dot at the center of a circle. Literature obtained from the internet (such as Leopold.com) describes lead-free glass lenses, rather than polycarbonate. Each lens surface is coated to minimize reflection and maximize light transmission therethrough. There is no mention of edge polishing.
Orion Telescopes and Binoculars has a website that describes an eyepiece with an illuminated reticle (crosshair or grid) for sighting. The crosshairs of the reticle eyepiece are usually etched on a thin, flat optical window located at the eyepiece's focal plane. A built-in diopter mechanism allows the reticle to be focused. The lens is glass, fully coated on all air-to-glass surfaces. An illumination source positioned at the edge of the etched window lights up the reticle. The best illumination source is a red light-emitting diode, or LED. (See http://www.telescope.com/Orion-20 mm-Illuminated-Centering-Telescope-Eyepiece/p/8239.uts?keyword=illuminated %20eyepiece; http://www.telescope.com/Articles/Equipment/Accessories/Illuminated-Reticle-Eyepieces/pc/9/c/192/sc/196/p/99804.uts.)
There is a website for the TruGlo 4×32 Crossbow Riflescope, Matte Black Finish with Rings, 1″ Tube, Illuminated Reticle (http://www.adorama.com/TRG8504B3L.html) which describes a riflescope with illuminated reticle rings. The Xbow riflescope has special range finding and trajectory compensating reticle with dual color illuminated. The TruGlo tactical riflescope comes with an adjustable rheostat for brightness control. This riflescope also has fully coated lenses.
The webpage located at http://burrisoptics.com/ar332.html discloses the Burris AR-332 scope with 3× magnification plus the ballistic CQ reticle. The black reticle is etched directly onto the prism with red and green light illumination available with the turn of a dial.
The Leapers UTG 1.5-6×44 Accushot Rifle Scope has an illuminated mil-dot reticle; one version has 36-color illumination capability. Leapers' True Strength scope includes Emerald-coated optics (95% light transmission) and illumination enhancement red-green-black) in dual-color mode and 36 colors in multi-color mode. If illumination is not used, the reticle will be black.
None of these references expressly discloses a polycarbonate lens with anti-reflective coating on both the concave and convex sides, and having an uncoated light-accepting portion of a peripheral edge transmitting light shining thereon within the lens to fluoresce a UV-cured poly monomer within a bell-shaped cavity burred into the concave side of the lens at its optical and geometric center point.